books or movies: which is better?

Chloe Romero'14

Once upon a time I was asked the question, “Do you like books or movies better?” and since that day it has never left my mind. The argument over whether books or movies are the better medium of entertainment, does not only exist in my mind; this question is a worldwide debacle that has caused tension between die hard book and movie fans.The two extremist camps in this debate, the bookworms and the movie fanatics, both believe that their preferred methods of entertainment are superior. There also exists the group of people who are stuck in the middle. Personally, I fall into the middle group; I love to read as much as I love to watch films. I love it when a book I love gets a movie adaptation, just as much as I love when I am so intrigued by a movie that I go out and read the books to learn more about the characters. A lot of the time I find myself reading books after I’ve seen a movie trailer because I am too impatient to wait to find out what has happened. Recently, I have finally gotten around to reading the Divergent series, but that was only after watching the trailer for the film. But I am also excited to see the movie adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars, a novel I have been obsessed with since its release.Movie adaptations are exciting to me because they bring to life characters you have imagined for so long, but there is always the disappointment of the movie not matching up to the book. Nevertheless, I believe that books and movies should not be harshly divided over the argument of which medium of entertainment is better than the other. I argue this because books and movies are forms of entertainment meant to access different ranges of viewers. Some people don’t like to read, while others find themselves constantly having to fall asleep during films. The reason for the two mediums is to provide for a form of entertainment for everyone. I mean I will most definitely be offended if you say that you do not like the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series in either the book or movie, because those are two fundamental aspects of my life, but that will not end any friendship of mine. (But Sirius-ly who does not like Harry Potter?) Personally, I think that everyone should appreciate both movie adaptations and books equally. But never forget to secretly dislike directors or authors when you prefer a certain scene in one of the methods of entertainment – insert prayers that I will like the ending of the Hunger Games film series more than the book series’ ending.